CDC: Health benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks

SEATTLE -- A new proposal by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that uncircumcised men and the parents of newborn babies should at least consider circumcision, stating that the benefits of the procedure are "dramatic" while the risks are "low."

Draft guidelines of the CDC's recommendations on circumcision were published Tuesday.  According to the LA Times and multiple studies, the new guidelines take into account that men who are circumcised are less likely than their uncircumcised peers to get an STD through vaginal sex.

Being circumcised also reduces the risk of getting HIV from a female partner by 50 to 60 percent.

Circumcision can also cut the risk of genital herpes, and of getting cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus.  Studies have also found that sex with circumcised men is safer for women, the LA Times reports.

When doctors perform newborn circumcision, the risk of problems during the procedure is less than 0.5%, according to a  CDC analysis, the LA Times reports.

Still, draft guidelines published by the CDC Tuesday emphasize that circumcision should take personal, cultural, religious and ethical beliefs into account when making a decision.

The CDC is taking public comments on the proposed guidelines. They may be made here.